


Ssssounds pefect to me

by Rnd_Injustice



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Bitty Lamias, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 11:09:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19462753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rnd_Injustice/pseuds/Rnd_Injustice
Summary: A special thanks to Vex (check them out! https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/) for the matchup and the adoption roleplay after that, and to Portal, for pointing my interest and curiosity towards skeleton limias!For those wondering, this is a short story about what happened after this event took place (https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/185958882836/meet-and-greet-for-rnd-injustice)





	Ssssounds pefect to me

“Great!” I replied back excitedly, even if I was a little more than surprised that all three of them had just agreed to be adopted by me. After all, what was I but just some human that had come in and watched them dance? In all honesty, the fact they had agreed so easily unsettled me. Here they were, agreeing to be adopted by me moments after _seeing_ me while I had spent WEEKS going back and forth between the idea of adoption (even since doing that lamia match-up on a whim), and I STILL didn’t have an answer when I entered this place. I figured I was just coming in for a look, sure that I wouldn’t be captivated as easily as I had been and double sure I wouldn’t find lamias who would want to be adopted by me, leading to this unsettled feeling I was currently struggling with.

This- this all felt too easy. Too fast.

A hand gently touched my arm, drawing my attention back to the here and now. Glancing down, I followed the hand back to the Chain I was about to adopt. He was looking at me in concern as his other hand covered his chest where I could just see the glow of his soul.

That glow hadn’t been there before, and neither was this strange warmth and echoing, distant feelings of longing and jubilancy that were not my own coming from what I could only assume was my soul and the soulbond I now had with him.

I pulled away from his hand and those separate feelings as I sat up and saw how the Chain pulled his hand back and curled back and in, protectively. A flash of pain, from both of us I think, flashed across my soul, but I pushed that aside with a sigh as I turned to face the Honey Bo and the Mamba.

“So,” I said, feeling awkward now that the decision had been made and the next step was a complete unknown to me, “....um, do I go and get Vex or something?”

The Mamba scoffed, “YOU COULD TRY BRINGING US WITH YOU WHEN YOU DO THAT!”

“Oh!” I quickly held my arms out to them, “Climb on aboard guys.”

The Honey Bo was hiss-chuckling as he slowly slithered up my arm to my shoulder. After giving my arm a critical look, the Mamba slithered up to the prime spot on my right shoulder, standing up tall and puffing himself proudly while the Honey Bo was already making himself comfortable in a lounge position. The Chain seemed reluctant to touch me and kept glancing up at me, looking really unsure.

“It’s okay.” I said as gently as I could, cupping my hands and presenting them to him, “I, um, I really do want to adopt you. Promise.”

I tried reaching out to that connection I had felt in my soul before, to try and reassure him and to prove that I honestly did want him, but every instinct in me cried out to pull away. It felt unnatural and dangerous, and I really had to force and push myself to make that connection. I could tell he was still unsure, but it seemed my sad attempt to at least try and reassure him hadn’t gone unnoticed as he moved tentatively into my hands. I continued to smile at him as he tried settling, his body language clearly telling me he was still unsure about all of this.

 _‘Make that two of us.’_ I sighed as I struggled to get to my knees and then legs without using my hands or rocking the two lamias on me, _‘.....Wait, can you read my thoughts???’_

Okay, I’ll admit that the idea of a soulbond was throwing me off a bit. What if he _could_ read my thoughts? What if I could read his? Was he completed to like me because we bounded? How was that fair to him?! How intimate or strong was that bound, and was there a way to weaken it if it turned out it was influencing him? Did I have any privacy from him now or was I inflicting him with all of my concerns, doubts and fears?

As I got to my feet and tried pushing all of that aside, focusing instead on locating Vex, the Chain looked up to me as I brought him and my hands to my abdomen, concerned and still hesitant. It seemed like he wanted to pat me or something, but couldn’t make himself commit. In the end, he jammed his hands into his jacket as the Mamba spoke up again.

“THE FRONT COUNTER WOULD BE THE MOST LOGICAL PLACE TO FIND A SHOP OWNER, WOULDN’T YOU SAY?” He said more like an order than a suggestion.

“Yeah.” I agreed before I looked over to him, “But I’m surprised that you said that.”

He folded his arms, glaring at me, “WHY? ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY INTELLIGENCE?!”

“Not at all,” I said cooly as I made my way to the front counter, “it’s just all the research I did about lamias said that you couldn’t speak unless you learned it from someone. Mostly the person who adopted you.”

The Honey Bo lifted his head and glanced over at the Mamba, who was now scowling off to the side, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

“I-I LEARNED IT FROM ONE OF THE OTHER MAMBAS’, OKAY?!” He snapped, still with his back to me, “SO STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, OKAY?!”

“Okay.” I said as calmly as I could as I waited for Vex by the front counter, “Then, can I ask you if lamias have a different language? Something you can translate for me?”

“Lamias’ communicate with purrs, chirps, hisses, and hand gestures.” Spoke up a voice I had heard already but was still getting to know, “They’ll sometimes utter single words or short sentences, but generally, they use instinctual basic sounds and gestures to communicate with each other.”

I turned to face the owner of that voice and this shop, Vex, as she dusted off her hands after having just got done with one of her many, many chores that had to be done around the shop. I was inclined to believe she was a monster due, in part, to her very long purple hair and cute grey cat ears. Beyond that, she looked human enough (unless that tail I thought I saw when I first walked in wasn’t a figment of my imagination). A very kind, very patient monster wearing a cute frilly apron, but slap on a cute beanie on her and she could pass for a human that proudly watched far too much anime.

Her shocking blue eyes had been looking over me and the three lamias I carried, a satisfied smile playing on the corner of her lips. “I can see that you’ve made a few friends?”

“Absolutely.” I agreed with a chuckle, “I’ll tell you what, you sure know your stuff when it comes to matching people up. I honestly didn’t think I’d be swayed this easily.”

“My lamias are very persuasive.” She chuckled back, her eyes softening as she gazed at each and every one of them. “I mean, who can say no to those adorable faces?”

“WE ARE NOT ADORABLE!” hissed the Mamba indignantly.

“Of course not,” Vex replied, completely unphased by his harsh tone and words, “Perhaps I should have said marvellous? Stupendous and truly amazing creatures, really.”

The Mamba nodded in satisfaction and settled back on my shoulder while I was taking notes on what she just did.

Vex smile lingered for a moment before it shifted to a more serious stare that she directed to me, “Still, I like to make sure that there are no regrets later on. I much prefer potential adopters take their time and really consider whether or not they can handle looking after their adoptions _properly_. It’s not fair to the lamias to be promised love, care, and attention, and not get just that.” 

She brightened again, “Still, I can see that they’ve really taken a liking to you, and you to them. If you’re ready for them, you can take them home today, if you want.”

“Yeah.” I said uneasily, as a drop of guilt entered my mind, “I mean, I did start setting up a nest as I more or less toyed with the idea ...But I wasn’t expecting I’d want all three of them. I-I might need to buy a few more heat pads and blankets ...and toys…..and other stuff.”

Vex smile widened, showing off her small set of sharp canine fangs that I hadn’t noticed before. “Why, I’d be more than happy to sell you everything you need, right here in this shop.”

~*~

A few shopping bags hanging from my hands, Vex’s business card with numbers on it, and one very sore bank account later, I was walking back to my place with my three new adoptees riding on my shoulders. I knew I had brought more than I needed, but between Vex being some sort of Jedi mind-trick master and having the three lamias I was buying this stuff for suggesting and subtly hinting (or not so subtly, as was in the case of the Mamba) things they would like to have, and I was a sucker with an open bank account. Oh, who am I kidding; I couldn’t say no! Did you _see_ their little clothes section?? So yeah, I was an eager sucker with an open wallet, caught up in all the excitement of all of this amazing new stuff happening to me, and with zero regrets about any of it...oddly enough.

In the end, I was happy and they were happy and that’s all that mattered at the end of the day.

“HOW MUCH LONGER ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE US WAIT FOR LUNCH?” growled the Mamba as his tail flicked in irritation on my shoulder.

“We’re nearly home.” I said as I saw the front gates leading to my house, “Once I’ve dropped off these bags, I’ll give you guys some meat or something.”

“WE EAT OTHER THINGS BESIDES MEAT.” the Mamba hissed, narrowing his eyes at me, “I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOU CHUCKING SOME PIECE OF MEAT AT ME BECAUSE THAT’S ALL YOU THINK I EAT.”

“I know that.” I sighed as I struggled to pull my keys out and unlock the door without dropping bags or bucking anyone off, “But if you’re expecting a meal in the next 10 minutes, then it’s going to be a simple meal.” I smiled over at him when I managed to unlock my door, “I’ll cook something special for dinner.”

“......SPECIAL HOW?”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to wait and see.” I said with a cheeky smile. 

I stepped inside my house and placed my bags off to the side before kicking off my shoes with a sigh. Seriously, when I left this morning, I didn’t think I would be coming back with all of this stuff! How fast shit changes, eh? I could feel how excited and nervous I was right now and I am loving it! It had been a really long time since I felt this excited about anything. God, I had almost forgotten what adrenaline felt like when it was coursing through my body like this!

The Mamba seemed satisfied with my answer (or maybe the better word was content) and sat back on my shoulder while the Honey Bo and Chain were both laying on my other shoulder, their long tails running down my back. Glancing at them, the Honey Bo was looking around curiosity but when my eyes met the Chain’s, he looked quickly away, sinking further into his furred jacket’s hood.

Adding talking to him at some point to the list of things I had to do for these guys, I headed for my kitchen and pulled out some ham and a loaf of bread.

“Who’s having this as a sandwich and who’s having just the meat?”

“I WILL HAVE IT AS JUST THE MEAT.” The Mamba pointed at me, “AND YOU HAD BETTER SERVE IT IN A MANNER BEFITTING A FINE SPECIMEN, SUCH AS MYSELF!”

“Right, so not a dog bowl.” I glanced over at the other lamias, “And you two?”

“THEY DON’T TALK, REMEMBER?” The Mamba folded his arms, “I HOPE YOU’RE NOT EXPECTING THEM TO ANSWER YOU LIKE HOW ONLY _I’M_ CAPABLE OF DOING?”

“I’m assuming they can communicate to me in their own manner.” I held up the ham and bread in each hand, shaking each in turn as I gave them their options, “So, who wants just ham and who would like the sandwich?”

The Honey Bo pointed to the loaf of bread while the Chain pointed to the ham quickly while keeping his eyes well away from mine. Nodding and feeling rather subdued by that, I went about looking for plates and a butter knife. I made sure to place the ham on two plates as ‘fancy’ as I could before I went about making a sandwich for me and the Honey Bo. Of course, I wasn’t expecting him to eat a whole sandwich, so I asked him if he wanted half of mine. He seemed okay with that, and soon, I had four plates with lunch on them, four cups of water and three lamias by each other their meals on the table.

It was the first awkward meal I had at this table since my mother came over and gave me WAY too many details about my dad’s knee surgery. I felt like I should say something, get the conversation rolling so that we could all get to know each other, but I had no idea what to say. Was this the part where I told them my name, ask for theirs, what they did for fun, ask where they’d like to sleep, ask if they had any questions for me?? I didn’t know, and while I could see that everyone was eating, I was more or less to let everyone eat in awkward silence.

 _‘At least no one’s showing pictures of an open knee during the middle of surgery this time.’_ I thought as I watched them eat even as I chewed on my simple sandwich. The Honey Bo seemed the most relaxed one at the table. He was holding up one of the sandwich prices I had cut for him (still too big for him, despite my attempts) and was chewing with a content smile on his little bone face. Like he could sense me looking at him, he looked over at me and deliberately winked, his smile curling into a smug grin. Not expecting that at all or the blush on my cheeks, I turned my attention quickly to the Mamba. He was swaying on the spot, making small darting movements with his head as he sat up a bit taller than I suspected was his resting position. As I watched, he darted out faster than I could follow with my eyes and was sitting back just as quickly, a piece of ham clenched between his hands. He nibbled on his claimed piece as his eyes darted side to side, his tail end flicking beside him like he expected someone to come by and try to take it from him. I chuckled as I watched that, but when his eyes flickered to me, I quickly looked away least he started thinking I was laughing at him or something. The Chain didn’t seem that hungry; he was eating, but it seemed to me that he ate slowly. Growing concerned, I watched how he stiffened before a hand crept up to his glowing chest. Slowly, he turned to look at me with wide eyes, a piece of ham still in between his fangs. I smiled encouragingly back at him only to watch him pull his body in tighter and quickly dropped his gaze back to his plate, nibbling slowly at the piece of ham he already had.

Sighing, I looked to my own plate and retreated internally as I dwelled on my own thoughts and feelings.

 _‘....I should probably start thinking of names for these guys. Or ask them if they have names….’_

“So, um.” I said after a while and only when I saw that they were starting to get full and done with lunch, “...Do-...do you guys have names?”

“NO.” The Mamba said as he straightened his clothes, preening himself, “YOUR SUPPOSED TO GIVE US NAMES, HUMAN.”

“I’d much rather choose the names for yourself.” When I saw that none of them looked that thrilled or grateful for the offer, I added, “Don’t get me wrong, I’ll think of some names for you, but it should be something you get the final say on.”

“WHY?” The Mamba asked me as he placed his hands on his hips, “DID _YOU_ GET TO CHOOSE _YOUR_ NAME FROM YOUR PARENTS?”

“No, but that’s not-” I stopped myself from going down that road.

I more or less understood that lamia adoptions weren’t quite like adopting a human child or a puppy; they weren’t my children or my pets. They were now my companions. Some companies wanted to have that nurturing parent-child relationship, others became friends and equals. And others still ...became even more than that. I didn’t know what it was they were hoping this would become if they even had any ideas themselves, but I did know it was way too early to start putting labels on something that hadn’t even had a full day to settle yet.

An idea hit me then, one which me a chance to turn it around and ask, “You know what? If I get to choose your names, then you guys should get to pick my nickname. It can be something you all agree on or something from each of you. If I like, I’ll answer to it. How does that sound?”

The three lamias glanced at each other in surprise.

“....YOU...YOU’LL ANSWER TO WHATEVER WE CALL YOU?” The Mamba said carefully, as he and the other two looked back to me.

“It depends.” I replied back, equally carefully, “I mean, I won’t to anything degrading or insulting, but yeah. If it’s something clever or interesting.”

I watched how they looked back to each other and began making a series of hisses and chirps, with a lot of hand gestures. It looked like they were forming some sort of miniature conference, discussing and coming to some sort of agreement between them.

 _‘At least they’re getting along.’_ I thought with a smile.

So I waited until the verdict had been agreed up with the Mamba acting as their spokesman as he asked, “DO WE HAVE A TIME LIMIT ON THIS OFFER?”

I laughed as I got up from the table and began collecting things to wash in the sink, “Of course not! Take all the time you need and think about it, okay? You only get a couple of shots to make a nickname stick, so make sure it’s a good one before you hit me with it.”

They seemed to like that answer as each nodded.

“Now, “ I said, glancing over my shoulder back at them as I finished up scrubbing the last plate, “I have a question for you guys.”

“US?” said the Mamba as the other two looked equally surprised, “WHAT IS IT?”

“What would you like to do about your sleeping arrangements?”

“OUR SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS?”

I nodded as I turned away from leaving the last plate to dry, “Yeah. You guys know that I wasn’t expecting to adopt all three of you, so I more or less thought that I’d let whoever I adopted have the guest room. But with all three of you, it’s not fair that one of you gets the room.” I eyed them, “Unless, you’d be willing to share it?”

They quickly turned back to face each other, making more of those hissing, chirping noises again.

“.....WHAT IF WE DON’T WANT TO DO THAT?” asked the Mamba before pushing himself up taller as he placed a hand to his chest, posing, “I, FOR ONE, DEMAND NOTHING SHORT OF THE VERY BEST SLEEPING CONDITIONS AND WILL _NOT_ SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS.”

“I have a big place.” I said, glancing around the kitchen, “You’re more than welcome to go exploring and find a place that works for you. The only thing I’ll ask is if you stay out of my storage/studio room. I keep a lot of supplies in that room and it’s the only place I’ve got set up for my projects. In fact, wait here a second.”

I could feel their curious eyes following me as I left the kitchen and went to my room. I quickly saw and fetched the box I had set up with a blanket nest and heat pad (you know, because once I started thinking about adoption, I found myself looking around the place, trying to envision it), before leaving the room again. I swung back past the front door and grabbed the bags from before and brought it all to the kitchen.

“If you guys want, you can either set yourselves up in private or ask me for a hand.” I said as I entered the kitchen and sat on the tiled floor, placing the various things I had around me before I began organizing things into groups, “I figured I should give you the option on what you would like to do when it comes to your own nests.”

They made their way down from the table, using the chairs and table legs to get themselves down rather effectively. I watched as they made their way across the floor and over to me, eyeing the piles I was still sorting. I had to admit, watching them move all snake-like like that had to be about one of the coolest things ever. I found myself thinking about how they worked; how they ate, what they felt like if I dragged my hand the other way across their scales. If I could ever figure out how to ask one of them to take off their shirts so that I could-... What the hell’s wrong with me?!

While I was covering my shame and my face, the guys were digging into the piles, pulling out things that they liked.

“SO, LET ME GET THIS RIGHT.” I looked up to see the Mamba was demanding my attention again, standing in between the two taller lamias with his hands on his hips, “YOU’RE LETTING _US_ PICK WHERE WE SLEEP _AND_ LETTING US SET UP IN PRIVATE, IF WE SO WANT??”

“Yes?” I replied, feeling a bit unsure now. What if I just insulted them again, like I had done when the Mamba asked for his name and I all but told him no?

“B-BUT YOU’LL HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE SETTLED!” the Maba exclaimed, “YOU WOULD HAVE NO IDEA WHERE OUR NEST IS!”

“I was thinking that was the point?” I answered unsure, looking between the other two and seeing the same shook there as well, “Look, you can tell me if you want, but I just want to make sure you have a private place to call your own here.”

There was that look again. The look clearly told me that all three of my lamias thought I was strange.

The Mamba wasn’t content with just a look; he came out and said it. “YOU’RE A VERY WEIRD HUMAN, HUMAN.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a bunch of weird, wonderful creatures yourselves.” I grinned at them, “You’ll fit right at home in this place.”

~*~

I sat on the kitchen floor while the lamia gang slithered about the place. I had been for a while now, but I was happy to wait for some sign that all three of them had found a place they felt comfortable in. After all, I had a phone with an internet connection and plenty of specific questions about lamia care I wanted to research up on. The Honey Bo had carried a single blanket over his shoulder before disappearing from the kitchen, and I hadn’t seen him since. The Chain, on the other hand, kept darting back in and taking a few more things (most noticeable all the shiny things I had gotten for him) from the piles I still had in front of me. He kept looking up to me, still looking unsure and hesitant, but it seemed to me that he wasn’t as quiet as fearful as it had been before, so that was something. I could feel his side of our soulbond tentatively reaching out to my half, but I wasn’t trying to reach out to him and he wasn’t all that desperate to get that close to me.

_‘As soon as he’s picked a spot and settled, I really need to talk to him.’_

It wasn’t a conversation I was eager to have and one I couldn’t be all that sure we could actually have with my limited understanding on what chirp, chirp, hiss meant, but it was important that we had it, nonetheless. He needed to understand that it wasn’t him, it was all my doubts and fears about what exactly a soulbond was and what my influence over him was.

“HUMAN, I DEMAND THAT YOU ASSIST ME!”

Speaking about influence, I looked to see the Mamba was right in front of me, his arms folded. He had vanished first, but unlike the Honey Bo, he left with nothing but that confident slither of his. Now he was back and demanding my full attention again. I was getting a very strong vibe of him that, if I allowed it, we would end up in a sort of pet-owner relationship ...only, I wouldn’t be the owner.

“Is that my nickname?” I asked him, cocking my eyebrow at him, “‘Human’?”

“OF COURSE NOT!” He snapped with a hiss, “IT IS WHAT I AM CALLING YOU BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T GIVE ME YOUR NAME!”

“It’s-”

“I DON’T CARE.” He pointed to a big pile of stuff behind him, separate from everything else, “CARRY THIS TO MY CLAIMED NESTING SPOT!”

“Claimed?” I asked, pocketing my phone, “As in, you’ve staked a claim?”

“OF COURSE.”

“That sounds awfully like there’s been some arguing happening behind my back.” I eyed him seriously, “I won’t allow bullying in this house.”

“THE OTHER TWO HAVE ALREADY FOUND OTHER NESTING SPOTS AND NEITHER HAVE _DARED_ TO CHALLENGE MY CLAIM.” He slithered over and onto his pile, “NOW, CARRY ME AND MY THINGS TO MY NESTING SPOT, HUMAN.”

“Say please.”

“.....WHAT DID YOU SAY?” He asked in a low hiss, looking me straight in the eyes.

“I said ‘say please’.” I gestured to him, “Look, I’ve got no problem helping you out whatsoever, but I expected to be treated like how you expect to be treated.”

“YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE TREATED HOW I EXPECT TO BE TREATED.” He posed on top of his pile, “I AM PART OF THE MOST MAGNIFICENT SPECIMEN OF LAMIA, A MAMBA. ALREADY, THAT PLACES ME HIGHER THAN YOU, A MERE HUMAN. ADD TO THE FACT THAT I AM A _PERFECT_ EXAMPLE OF THE MOST _PERFECT_ SPECIES ON THIS PLANET, AND YOU SHOULD BE COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS THAT I AM EVEN HERE IN YOUR HOUSE AT ALL.”

“Then why do you need my help?” I asked, resting back on my hands as I lounged back, “If you’re so perfect, then surely you don’t need anything, from anyone, right?”

That got him. I watched as he stuttered and faltered on whatever he was about to say, his tail flicking in annoyance around him, “...AH-HA! IT’S BECAUSE SUCH WORK IS BELOW ME!” He pointed at me, “BUT NOT BELOW YOU! NOW, DO AS I SAY!”

“Why? What do I get out of it?”

“THE JOY OF BEING USEFUL!” He hissed threateningly this time, showing off his fangs as he puffed out his chest, “ **NOW DO AS I SAY!** ”

“No.” Before he had a chance to reply, I sat up properly and turned my body to face him, “If you want to bite me, to kill me, then you go ahead and do it, but just know that as I die, despite how perfect you are, you weren’t capable of making a ‘mere’ human help you.”

I watched as some of that air he had puffed into his chest deflated a bit and he clamped his mouth shut in furious anger.

Knowing that I was either about to get bitten or about to make clear where we sat on each other's totem poles, I continued in a much softer voice, “You know, I was really impressed by your dancing. I had honestly not been expecting anyone capable of moving with the music like that. How you flared yourself just at the right spots to capture the light on your scales, the elegance and agility of your movements that demonstrated just how passionate and capable of a dancer you really are.” I could tell I had his attention now, so I pressed forward, “But you didn’t demand that the music change its beat and go along with whatever you wanted to. It wasn’t unimportant to you or lesser because it was ‘just mere music’. No one without respect for the music would have danced like you had.”

“YOUR POINT?” He muttered, back to glaring at me with his arms folded rather than he's about to strike’ pose he was just in.

I presented my open palm to him, confident I had won him over enough to not getting bitten right at this moment. “Instead of viewing me as a ‘mere’ human, how about you think of me like that music; a partner that, if you respect and use correctly, can help you look even more amazing than you already are.”

His glowing slitted eyes were staring at my palm, but I was pretty sure his mind was elsewhere. At least, that’s what made sense to me for how long I kept my hand out for him while he just stared at my hand.

“.....I'VE ...I'VE HAD AN OWNER BEFORE YOU, YOU KNOW.” He looked back up into my eyes. “HE TOLD ME TO STOP ACTING SO PRIDEFUL AND TO ACCEPT MY PLACE AS HIS PET.”

“He was wrong and I’m not asking that you be my pet. I’m asking to be your equal.”

He scoffed as he made his way slowly onto my palm, “I DON’T THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE MY EQUAL. VERY FEW CAN, AND YOU DON’T HAVE ANY SCALES.”

“Then I’ll have to make do with all of this warm-blood and fur.” I chuckled as I moved him to my shoulder, “All that I ask is that you give me a chance.”

“...I GUESS.” He replied in a quiet voice as he settled on my shoulder.

“And say please when you think about it.” I added with a grin aimed over at him.

I watched as he rolled his eyes and folded his arms in a huff. “CARRY MY STUFF TO MY NEST, PLEASE!”

Chuckling, I happily bent and picked up his stuff before standing back up with my arms full. “Where to, partner?”

“THIS WAY.” He said, pointing me out of the kitchen and down the hall.

As I followed his instruction and walked through my house (carefully of where I was standing now), I thought about what he had just admitted to me. So that’s why he could talk. He must have picked it up from whoever had him before ...making him a return case. What little I had read on what happened to returned lamia’s and their mental state really put into perspective why Vex was as harsh as she was with new potential adopters. If the lamia didn’t collapse into a crippling depression as they dealt with feelings of abandonment and being unloved and unwanted, they tend to never want to be adopted ever again, which often spelt an early death for lamias. Their souls were based off hope and love, and when they were denied these two things (whether by the people around them or even by themselves) their souls would fade and begin to dust. It was a horrible way to go and a cruel thing to do to a living creature.

I wanted to ask him more about what happened with him and the previous adoptee, but the fact I had him meant it had been nothing good. I then realised that he had agreed to be adopted by me when all the stories I had ever read indicated that he shouldn’t have been as willing to be adopted again.

_‘Wonder what happened to make him consider me? It couldn’t have just been because I had complimented him on his dancing, right?’_

I put the question aside as I was lead into my own bedroom.

“Ummm.” I said as I stepped into my own room.

He pointed to my bed, “YOU CAN LEAVE MY NESTING STUFF RIGHT THERE.”

“You do realize that this is my bed, right?” I glanced over at him with a playful smirk and raised an eyebrow, “As in, it’s already been claimed?”

“RIGHT.” the Mamba responded, flashing his own smirk right back at me. “AS IN, IT _WAS_ YOUR BED BUT NOW IT’S MINE.”

“And you expect me to help you kick myself out of my own bed?”

“I EXPECT TO SLEEP IN THE MOST PERFECT PLACE.” He gestured around my room, “I HAVE SCOUTED THIS ENTIRE PLACE AND CAN SAY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THAT _THIS_ IS THE MOST PERFECT PLACE TO SET UP A NEST.”

“Come on,” I said with a sigh, “There’s no way this is happening. You know that, right? Pick any place you want, but you are NOT getting my bed.”

“BUT YOU SAID I COULD PICK ANY PLACE AS LONG AS IT WASN’T THAT ROOM THAT SMELLED AND TASTED BAD!”

“Tasted ba-?” I stopped myself before I allowed him to distract me, “Look, you can spend all this time arguing about something you _know_ isn’t going to happen, or you can pick a new, better place before one of the other two gets to it.” I grinned, “You know, if they haven’t already.”

“THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE!” He exclaimed, folding his arms, “I’VE CHECKED!”

“What about up in my wardrobe?” I asked as I looked over to my open wardrobe, eyeing the top storage section, “If you pick that place, not only would you have a nice, dark quiet place to sleep, you’d also have the highest bed in the entire house.”

“IT LOOKS DIRTY TO ME.” hissed the Mamba in distaste, “PLUS, IT’S FULL OF USELESS JUNK.”

“I’ll clean it.” I said as I placed his things on my bed before moving over to the wardrobe. Standing as tall as I could (which wasn’t much)I tried giving him a good view of all that space, sure I could entice him. “So, what do you think? If I clear all of this out, you’d be getting a whole lot of space to play with. Plus, think of what you could with it. I’m thinking some private curtains pinned here and here, and some Christmas lights, oh, and a vanity set you could tuck away into the corner here.”

He had slithered to the top of my head by this point, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as I spoke.

“I COULD PUT A WHOLE CORNER OF MIRRORS UP!” He exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as he envisioned his nest, “PLUS A WHOLE WALL WHERE I COULD HANG UP MY OWN CLOTHES, OH! AND SOME DRAWS! I DEMAND DRAWS!”

“Consider it done.” I chuckled as I took a step back, dusting my now dirty hands, “Give me a chance to pull everything out, give it a good wipe down, and I’ll put your stuff up there and let you have at it.”

“I EXPECT THIS PLACE TO BE CLEANED PROPERLY!” He warned as he made his way back down to my shoulder before pointing at my face, “WHEN YOU THINK YOU’RE DONE, COME AND GET ME AND _I’LL_ TELL YOU WHEN YOU’RE DONE.”

“Only if you promise to show me what I did wrong and demonstrating the correct way.” I said as he made his way off my shoulder, down my side, and onto the floor (which was such a weird sensation), “Are you going to go exploring more?”

He nodded as he looked back up to me, “INDEED. WHILE I WAIT FOR MY NEST AREA TO BE CLEAN, I WILL STAKE OUT AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH MY TERRITORY. THERE IS MUCH I DIDN’T GET A CHANCE TO EXPLORE ON MY FIRST PASSOVER ON THIS PLACE.”

“As long as you stay in the house.” I warned, watching him go, “Otherwise, how else will I find you?”

“IN MY EXPERIENCE, YELLING TENDS TO WORK!” He called back before his tail disappeared around my bedroom’s corner.

I started chuckling until it dawned on me that he-he might have just been _purposefully_ sassy just then…. Okay, that little tibet might have just blown my mind! Man, what a way to take my assumptions and turn them on me! Bravo, little man, bravo.

I was still chuckling when I found and pulled out my little step ladder I never used. I brought it when I first moved into this place because I thought I was going to be organised and shit. In the end, I just ended up chucking things up into the wardrobe's top storage area until whatever I was throwing kept rolling out. 

And now I was paying the price.

Everything was dusty and just waiting to fall. I have seen more stable janger block towers than this mess. And it was hard work. Hard, tedious, dusty work as I climbed back up and down that step ladder, dumping armfuls of junk onto the floor to be dealt with ...whenever I got around to it. I had been at it for a couple of minutes when, while I wasn’t paying attention, something hard, heavy, and with a very pointy corner fell on top of my head.

“Fuck!” I cursed out in blind pain as I stumbled back from the step ladder before an avalanche of crap fell on top of me. I felt a flash of fear and concern flood suddenly through the soulbond, but I was still in too much pain to take much notice. When the pain somewhat settled, I was rubbing at the spot I had been struck as it throbbed in aching pain, bringing tears to my eyes. “Oh fucking hell, that really fucking hurt! Fuck!”

“fuck?”

My hand stopped on my head when I heard the curse that had certainly not come from my stream of cursing. 

Reaching forward, I pushed aside the bottom half of my wardrobe (where I mostly hung my pants) and saw the Honey Bo curled up in the blanket he had carried here, grinning up at me. When he saw my horrified face he sat up and held open his arms with a huge grin on his face.

“fuck!”

_‘His first word.’_

“No! I said ‘puck’, sweetie! As in, hockey puck! Pah~uk. Say ‘puck’.”

“fuck!” He said, chuckling now with his hands in his hoodie, “fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”

He was even bobbing his head with every curse.

I couldn’t take much more of this as I buried my face in my hands. His first words, and it was him learning how to curse! Now I was going to have to deal with him saying that like some sort of parrot that wouldn’t shut the hell up! Who knew when he would decide to break out that little gem of his, and if he did that in front of my mother, it would be nothing but dirty looks from here until I could teach him NOT to say it, let alone sing and bob to it. 

_‘Vex is going to kill me!’_

I felt a hand touching my leg, which brought me out of my misery and face to face with the grin plastered firmly on his face.

Pulling his hand away, he placed it on his chest and said, very carefully, “puck.”

“Puck?” I said, confused, “Do-do-?…. Is that-?” I narrowed my eyes at him, “You’re trolling me, aren’t you?”

He nodded, his grin turning quite cheeky and smug.

“You know exactly what that word means and not to just sing and dance to it in the open like you just were, don’t you?”

He hissed-chuckled as he nodded, his grin curling even more.

I sighed as I pushed the fallen boxes off me, keeping my eyes glued to this little troll in front of me, “And let me guess, although you can understand me, that word is the only one you know how to say, correct?”

He opened his mouth, but I quickly placed my finger on his teeth, “No! Nope. I do not need you to confirm that with me.”

He grabbed and lowered my finger down from his teeth with another chuckling hiss, patting my finger as he did so.

“So, are you telling me that you would like to be called ‘Puck’?”

He nodded.

“....You know, every time I call you that, I’m going to think back to this moment.”

He chuckled hissed again, nodding his head as he patted my finger one last time before sticking his hands into his hoodie.

Puck….I rather did like the name, even if I was sure I could have gone without the hit on my head and the heart attack that went with envisioning how thrilled Vex would be if she ever found out what the first word I taught him was. It suited him, and it felt better now that he had a name rather than being called ‘the Honey Bo’ by me.

I watched as he made his way back to is nest, which made me realise, “Wait, is this the nest location you’ve chosen?”

He nodded as he settled back into his previous lounge position.

“There has to be a better place for you than this.” I eyed what he had managed to do with his spot...you know, carrying a blanket and dumping it in a corner at the back, “At the very least, let me take my clothes out to give you more space.”

He sat back and watched me grab my clothes and toss them away from the dirty boxes. I could see that he didn’t like that because he was frowning now, looking up at all the empty space above him.

“Should I get something to cover that?” I asked, eyeing the bar that my clothes had been hanging on and thinking about what I could do with that, “It wouldn’t be hard to throw over a blanket or something, pin it to the sides so that it stays in place. It would basically become a little tent down here. Oh, and toss in some lights and your heater pad, make it nice and cosy.”

He shook his head and pointed back to my pile of pants on the floor.

“Puck, if I do that, I’ll disturb you every time I need to grab something.” I said, warning him. “I have space in my draws that I’m more than happy to use. It’s okay.”

But he just kept shaking his head, pointing to my pants.

“Puck,” I said in a gentle voice, “This is something I really want you to have. I’ve read that Honey Bo’s like their privacy and I want to give it to you. You deserve a proper place in this home, something better than just a blanket in the corner of my wardrobe, under all my clothes. It would upset me if I found out I was waking you up every time I had to grab something, and I don’t think it would work out in the long run, away.” I offered my hand to him, “If you want, I can set it up for you and you can make adjustments. Let me get the tent, lights and heat pad in and you can make it your own after that, okay?”

He seemed to be considering that before he smiled and shook my hand.

And just like that, I had been played.

“You just didn’t want to do all that effort, did you?” I asked, shaking his hand back with a grin.

He nodded, grinning back at me.

“You mother...pucker.”

He started hissing chuckling again.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I pulled out his nest and settled it and him on the ground, “Alright mister. You better go and find someone else to inflict your presence on while I get this setup. I’ll call you when I’m done, okay.”

He shrugged and slithered out of my room, drawing my eyes to watching him go before an alarming thought entered my mind.

“Not the Mamba!”

I sure hope that hissing chuckling I heard echoing back from the hall was him agreeing with me.

~*~

I still hadn’t seen the Chain since the kitchen and I was starting to get worried. I had plenty of time to focus on my worry as I wired up Puck’s nest and waited for the Mamba’s area to dry (after it had gotten his seal of approval, of course). It was coming up to an hour since I saw him and I found myself torn between frantically searching the house for him and giving him his space like I promised I would. He was the only lamia that I had seen take a heat pad and other things that I had been told needed to be in a lamia nest. So, that must mean he was just busy setting up...right? I mean, it was taking me time to do Puck’s basic set up, and I more or less knew where everything was and was the right size to be plugging things in. If he wanted help, if he needed it, I had made it abundantly clear was that all they had to do was come and find me and I would be there in a heartbeat.

_‘Maybe he needs help but doesn’t want to ask you. Maybe he left as soon as he could.’_

I know that last one wasn’t true because he kept coming back to get more things, making many small trips to carry stuff he would need for a nest. If he was planning to run away, he wouldn’t have done that.

_‘Maybe he was doing that so you wouldn’t see the knapsack he was making before hiking back to the store.’_

I scoffed at that, even if the image of the Chain braving the streets with his collection of things at his back wouldn’t leave my mind. No, I refused to give into these baseless fears and corners, and instead choose to be logical. While I wasn’t feeling anything now, there was no forgetting the memory of what I had felt as all those boxes had tumbled down on me. My soul had definitely felt a flash of fear and alarm that had been separate from my own; wherever he was, he had been close enough to see that.

That thought made me stop pinning Puck’s blanket tent in the closet and instead just sit there, staring at the patterns on the blanket without seeing it. If he was close, if he was somewhere in this room, was he watching me?

Or was he hiding?

“Chain?” I called out, looking around from where I sat.

A flash of surprise and dread that wasn’t mine gave me my answer.

I sighed and pushed all of my tools off to the side before turning around. “Chain, I know you’re here. I-I was wondering if we could talk?”

…...That had to be the dumbest thing I had ever said. Of course we couldn’t talk; I was going to talk _at_ him. How was that fair?

It wasn’t, but it was all I had. I-I wanted to fix this. It wasn’t his fault that his soul had bonded with a paranoid, over analyzing one like mine.

“It’s okay,” I said, speaking out to the room at large as I got to my feet to close the door, “You don’t need to come out if you don’t want to, I just wanted a chance to explain a few things about me.”

I made my way over to my bed and sat down on the edge (taking care not to accidentally knock over all of the Mamba’s stuff), twisting my hands nervously. “Okay, so I’ll admit that the idea of a soulbond sounds ...wrong to me. Sounds too much like ‘fate’, something that you don’t get a say on, which doesn't seem right to me. It’s your life and you only get one chance of it, so why should something other than your own free will get to determine what you do with your time?” I moved a hand up to my chest, clutching at the spot these foreign feelings kept coming from, “This soulbond? It feels like something that I’ve forced upon you, accident or no. I feel like it’s forcing you to like me, to experience my emotions as your own, which I’m sure has to be playing some part in making you feel like you have to be with me. That you don’t get a choice in the matter.”

I sighed and dropped my hands as I looked up and stared out across my room, noticing all the weird, nerdy things I had collected over the years, “...It’s not that I don’t like you or don’t want you here, I do, I just don’t want you to only be here because of something neither of us can control. That’s not fair to you. You deserve to get that choice, to _choose_ to be here with me if you want, to _choose_ if you’re okay with sharing a bond with me.”

“.....wh-what if i okay with it?”

I glanced quickly over to see the Chain curled up nervously on my pillow, hands covering the glow coming clear from his chest (despite the leather, furred jacket he wore.)

“You can speak?” I asked, adding this newest development to the list of surprises I was fast collecting this day.

“a-a little.” He admitted, glancing down at his chest, “I think i learn from … soulbond.”

“I’m glad about that at least.” I kicked up my legs and turned my body to face him properly, “I really did want to talk to you about this.”

“i know.” He tapped his chest, “i feel you.”

“You feel me?” I asked, growing somewhat alarmed, “So you _can_ hear my thoughts.”

He shook his head, “no thoughts. i feel you.”

“So just my emotions?” He nodded. “Aw man. I’m sorry about that.”

“why?” He asked, looking confused.

“Because even _I_ don’t want to deal with my emotions.” I dragged a hand through my hair, chuckling nervously, “Oh man, you must have been on a wild rollercoaster of a train wreck all day. Let me think of a way to make it up to you and I’ll work at keeping a lid on all the crazy.”

Rather than answer me, he glanced at the space between us, keeping a hand to his chest, “...you feel...bad?”

“Bad?” I shook my head, “I’m feeling guilty as all heck right now, but I wouldn’t call it a bad feeling.”

But the Chain shook his head, “not right word ...what word mean this?” He hissed threateningly and held his arms out, posing like he was about to strike.

“Hissing? Threatening? Striking a pose?”

“threatening.” He dropped his arms and relaxed his posture as he, at last, met my eyes, “you feel threatening.”

“Do you feel threatened by me?” I asked quickly, “I’m sorry! That’s not what I’m going for here.”

He shook hi head again, “not you to me. me to you.” He raised his hand again to his chest, his slitted eyes piercing mine, “i threatened you.”

I felt my soul still even as I pretended that I wasn’t affected by his words. “You? No offence, but have you seen how big I am to you? if I was going to feel threatened by anyone, it’s going to be the Mamba with the venom.”

“you joke and feel threatened.” He patted his chest, still staring at me, “i know truth. i feel you. you feel me?”

“I-I…..” Now it was my turn to stare at the space between us, “....I’ve been trying not to.”

“try.”

I glanced quickly up to him, but when all I saw was an accepting smile, I looked quickly back down. Yeah, I could feel him, but I had been keeping him back because I didn’t want this connection. Having someone know me, knowing what was going on behind my calm, smiling eyes made me feel incredibly exposed. Let people look and pick apart the surface; who I really was for me to know, no one else.

It-it felt so wrong, so...threatening.

“I’m a…..I’m having a little trouble with that.” I mumbled, unable to look up at him.

Suddenly, his body came into my view and I looked up to see him approaching me, looking more confident now, even if he was slow and cautious with his movement.

“i know.” He said gently, moving close enough to my leg so that he could pat me, “i feel that threatened.”

“I feel that _feeling_ of you feeling threatened.” I corrected before I nodded, “And yeah, I do.”

“you also think i only like you because of soulbond. not true.” he glanced up at me, smiling, “i like you _then_ soulbond.”

“Really?” I found myself whispering, daring to hope.

He nodded. “i stay away because you not ready.” He rested his arms and head on top of my leg, smiling gently, “you _think_ you not ready.”

“There’s a lot of grammar mistakes you just said just then,” I placed my hand gently on his back and rubbed my thumb upon his back, drawing comfort from the gesture even as I aimed to give him comfort, “but yeah. I think you’re right.”

He purred contentedly as he rested on my leg, the rest of his body curling in to press itself against as much of my leg as he could. It was strange, but as I patted him and focused on nothing more but how warm he felt on my leg and how nice it felt to pat him, I could feel his pleased, content and simple relief as he relaxed where he was through our soulbond. What was strange was how those feelings I was getting from him affected me. I was beginning to feel more relaxed and content, now that we had cleared the space between us. There was a sense of understanding and respect for each other’s boundaries, but also an acknowledgement that this strange thing between us? This soulbond? It was powerful, but not all-powerful like I had feared. It would take time to fully understand what being soul bonded to a lamia meant, but I know knew what it was not.

And what it wasn’t was some sort of leash that tied him blindly to me, against his free will.

….Man, for this little guy to be as wise as he was, so attuned to what I thought I hid pretty well, really put into perspective on just how smart lamias were. Soulbond or not, he still had to know what words (however limited they were right now) to say that wouldn’t make me close him off even more. While I was sure I had hurt his feelings and had made him retreat somewhat within himself, he had still been observing me this whole time.

He-....he really did like me, didn’t he? He seemed to get how I worked, and so quickly too. Maybe that’s why we soulbonded? Maybe I’d get the chance to do that for him in the future. Help him, and be there right when he needed me.

I found myself chuckling quietly to myself as I admitted, “You know, you make very...apt observations, Chain. Right on point. Alarming so, really.”

“apt?”

“Apt. It means being spot on with your timing and being just what the situation called for. It can also mean someone who is smart or has a natural talent to learn things really quickly.” I glanced down at him, “You know, the more I say that, the more I think the name suits you.”

“apt?” The Chain asked as he looked up at me, unsure.

I nodded. “But only if you like the name.”

I watched as he seemed to consider it until I felt something click into place and a sense of satisfaction that was not my own.

Rather than pull away from it, I let it be and smiled down at him. “I take it you like the name?”

“yes.” He hummed, sounding very pleased, “my name is apt.”

“You have a very nice name, Apt.” I offered my finger to him, “And I’m glad that you’ve bonded with me.”

I think we both felt the flood of satisfaction coming from both our souls as I said that.

~*~

“WHY ARE YOU NAMING ME LAST?!?” The Mamba demanded from behind me, puffing out his chest indignantly from the dining room table.

I sighed as I stirred tonight’s dinner in a pot, Apt laying around my shoulders. I had been expecting the Mamba to confront me about that, but I had thought, between that Puck being too busy sleeping in his new and improved nest to tell him his new name and the Mamba himself insisting that he ‘WAS GOING TO SPEND THE REST ON THE NIGHT PERFECTING HIS NEW NEST’, I had a bit of time. I didn’t even know HOW he knew he would be getting his name last; Apt had been spending all his time with me and Puck was asleep. 

After we had our moment on the bed, I got around to asking Apt about his nest. He had grown nervous and seemed reluctant to share, but after I told him I was only asking because I wanted to know if he wanted any help, he had relented and shown me the little nest he had behind and under the head of my bed. It had been a narrow space, far too narrow for the heat pad he couldn’t plug in. The first thing I did was push aside my bed, pull his small nest carefully out and gave the whole place a scrub and clean out. Next, while I waited for that to dry, I finished setting up Puck’s nest before I got started on wiring up the Mamba’s nest. When that was done, I called the Mamba over to have a look as I pushed all of his nesting stuff to his new enclosed space, and that’s where I left him. At some point, Puck had slinked into his nest (as I saw his tail darting in behind the blanket tent I had placed up), but I was more than happy to leave these two to their nests as I turned my attention back to Apt’s. His was slightly harder to set up because I insisted that he should get some privacy too, which meant another job for blankets and pins. I knew I would have some stuff to buy tomorrow (mostly blankets and pins), but the concern was on getting through tonight. Regardless, after wedging my bedside table in behind the bed’s frame (thus, making sure he more width in his nest space), I got a chance to set up his tent, heat pad and lights. It was fairly barebones, but between all the trinkets I had brought for him and a few things he had found around the house already, he was quick to make the place his own. In fact, I was still taking a breather as I rested on my bed when he slithered back up and over onto my stomach, apparently done.

Suffice to say, I was more than tired after this impromptu day of cleaning, but it would all be worth it if they were happy with their own nests. I really could do with a shower….and I guess I should ask the guys if they wanted one too. Wonder how that works? A shower in the sink I guess, maybe make it a bath-

“DON’T JUST SIGH AND IGNORE ME!” The Mamba snapped, dragging me out of my thoughts and back to dinner I was still cooking, “I DEMAND ANSWERS TO THIS INJUSTICE!”

“It’s not an injustice, it’s just how things worked out.” I gestured to him, “Have _you_ thought of anything?”

“N-NO.” He pointed back to me, “BUT NEITHER DID THE OTHER TWO! WHY AM I EXPECTED TO THINK OF A NAME WHEN THEY GOT _GIVEN_ THEIRS!”

“Is it really important to you that I name you?”

Rather than answer me, the Mamba turned away, scowling at a nearby wall. Apt, from the corner of my eye, nodded subtly from around my neck.

I sighed again as I turned the stove off, allowing dinner a chance to shimmer, “Look, it’s not like I’ve stopped thinking of names. I’m just trying to think of the perfect one. I figured you’d rather I take my time and give you a perfect name than just slap any name on you.”

“OF COURSE!” The Mamba said, turning back to face me, “AND I EXPECT YOU TO GIVE ME A NAME THAT IS WORTHY OF MY SPLENDOR! SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME HAPPY AS MUCH AS PUCK AND APT ARE!”

“They’re that happy with their names?” I asked, looking over to Apt.

As Apt nodded, the Mamba snapped, “OF COURSE THEY ARE! YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN HOW PUCK GRINNED WHEN HE TOLD ME HIS NAME!”

I wasn’t aware that the two had a chance to talk, but it did explain how he knew Puck’s name (if not Apt’s).

“Okay, I’ll keep thinking.” I promised as I started serving up bowls and cups, “But I can’t promise I’ll have a name for you before we call it a night. Like you said, you deserve a name that you like just as much as the other two like theirs.”

“swag?”

I looked up from serving bowls and allowing Apt to slide down my arm to see Puck sliding into the room, moving to join us.

“I see that you’re talking now.” I noted as he took the same place he had been sitting before, “When did that happen?”

“thesaurus.” came his one-word reply.

“Thesaurus?” He nodded, “You know how to read?”

“OBVIOUSLY!” The Mamba snapped as his tail flickered in irritation upon the table, “HOW ELSE WOULD HE BE ABLE TO SUGGEST SUCH INSULTING NAME SUGGESTIONS TO YOU, TRYING TO POISON YOUR OPINION?”

“swank?” Puck said, gesturing to the Mamba with a curious look at me.

I eyed the Mumba, “Swank.” It fitted. So did ‘Swag’, strangely enough.

“YOU HAD BETTER NOT BE THINKING OF CALLING ME THAT!” He spat, puffing and standing himself up and out as much as he could.

“Easy,” I said, holding my hands up to him, “Remember what I said about you having to agree to the name too?”

“YEAH, WELL I _DON’T_ AGREE TO EITHER OF THOSE NAMES, SO YOU CAN THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE!” He pointed to Puck, who was smirking at him, “ANYTHING _HE_ SUGGESTS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE DENIED BY ME!”

“Noted.” I gestured everyone to start eating before I started eating. It was just as quite as the last meal, but somehow it felt better. Maybe it was just me. I mean, I didn’t feel so awkward or like I was ‘failing’ them because I wasn’t striking up a conversation or something. We were all getting to know each other, and there really wasn’t a conversation or activity that was going to make that happen right now. No, only time was going to do that. Time and familiarity as we grew closer and more comfortable around each other.

In fact, I found I was comfortable enough to ask them how they liked their nests and how setting up was going. That got the conversation started as they talked about the changes they had made, a few things they would like to get at some point, and how they had found some of these things around the house. I got a piece of paper and a pen and began writing up a shopping list, but there would be times when I was writing something down and one of the guys informed me that they had found that whatever laying about in the place and, if it was okay with me, they’d show the lamia who was asking for it where it was. I readily agreed, which then lead me to asking about how they were finding my house, which carried us through the rest of dinner.

Hours later, after dinner had been cleaned up and I was too full and tired to do much more than dump myself on the couch, I found myself surrounded by lamia bodies as they watched a movie I had put on while I was looking over the thesaurus that I had ‘borrowed’ from Puck. I had another note pad and a pen close at hand, with me jolting down I ideas as I occasionally looked up at the Mamba, who I was all but sure was posing as he ‘watched’ the movie. I could see his slitted eyes darting back over to my lap every five seconds, trying to see what word I was currently looking up in the thesaurus. I tried keeping it hidden; I don’t think he would have appreciated knowing that few of the first words I looked up was ego, bossy, and spoilt.

In the end, however, none of these words, or anything associated with them, made it to my list of possible ideas. That was my first impression of the guy when I got him home, but I couldn’t get the image of him dancing out of my head. That moment, more than anything here, seemed more key to his true personality, and when I started thinking of words associated with that memory, the more I found words I thought fit him better. That moment spoke about how passionate he really was, how he wasn’t just boasting; he worked hard to back up his boasts (well, some of his boasts, anyway). It was also where he had placed aside his ego to admit that Puck was a worthy adversary, recognising that other people had talent too. That meant he could be humble and impressed by others, but only if they truly deserved it. 

His acknowledgement, his friendship , would be hard to win over and was certainly not a sure thing ... and that made the idea of being friends with him seem so much worth while to me, for some strange reason. The words ‘friend’ and ‘like’ were thrown around so much now days that it cheepened the words, with people acting over-polite and friendly, not because they liked you, but because it was a social convention that you had to everyone’s friend if they were polite to you, which was really draining on an introvert like me. It was EXHAUSTING to be everyone’s ‘friend’ when all I really wanted was to be left alone and get the hell away from this polite small conversation you had trapped me in, god damn it! Then there was all the second guessing as I thought ‘You know what? I bet this person doesn’t like me. They don’t know anything about me. They’re just being polite and friendly because that’s how we’re SUPPOSED to act.’ Being someone’s ‘friend’ in this day and age felt cheep and valued just as such. There was never a time where I felt fully comfortable, where I could let lose and just be honest with them and trust that they were honest with me back. Sure, they were friends with you now, but if something happened and you couldn’t talk as mush as you once had, then your ‘friendship’ would be abandoned and replaced by another ‘friendship’. A cheep, shallow friendship that lacked the depth and substance I desperately craved in all my relationships. How refreshing it was to have someone I didn’t have to worry about all that crap with, to have to actually work hard to prove that I wanted this friendship. It would be a struggle, with a lot of doubts and hurt feelings along the way, but I fet in my soul that, somehow, the friendship would be all the richer for the struggle.

…..I flipped over to the page that had all of loyal’s synonyms.

~*~

“Okay, I think I’ve got a pretty good list now.” I said, looking up from my page and over to the Mamba.

He turned away from the movie and gave me his full attention as the other two stopped to watch as well.

“Now, I want you to know that there were two things that decided whether or not something made it to the list.” I held up two fingers, “What the meaning of the word is and how it relates to you, and how good the word sounds as a name. ‘Audacious’, for example, I thought was a good word that describes you, but I don’t think it working as a name I have to call out everyday. Kind of losses its meaning after a while.”

“WHY NOT JUST NAME ME LIKE HUMANS DO?” The Mamba asked, trying to see my list but I was keeping it hidden, “NAMES DON’T HAVE TO MEAN ANYTHING, YOU KNOW.”

“I know, but with those names, they’re often given because they’re named after someone, of it’s a family name, or they just look like a ‘George’, whatever that means.” I shrugged, “If you want I can give you my phone and you can look up human names, but the problem with that is I really can’t help you decide on which name to go with if you do it that way. Picking a name like that is more based upon if you like the sound of it.”

“I HAVE TO LIKE THE SOUND OF THE NAME YOU’VE CHOSEN.” He pointed out to me.

“Ah, but I can also give you what the word means and my reasoning for choosing it.” I smiled gently at him, “I did try and select names that I thought were perfect for you. Words that suited who I think you are as a person.”

“THEN LET’S HEAR THIS ‘PERFECT’ LIST OF YOURS.” The Mamba said, curling up into a comfortable sitting position while the other two settled into themselves on my lap and legs.

I cleared my throat, “Right, so, at first, I thought you’d like a nobel, royal name. Something that speaks to how proud and dignified you are.”

I could see him puffing out his chest proudly before I listed these ideas to him, “I’ve got Genteel, Liege and Cavalier. Gallant and Quixotic are also in that same branch of thought.”

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT ANY OF THESE WORDS MEAN!” The Mamba hissed as the other two looked equally confused, “HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE A NAME IF I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!”

“Well, first up, do any of them sound good to you?” I asked, cooly.

He thought about it, “....GENTEEL.” He looked back to me, “THE OTHERS SOUND WEIRD TO ME OR ELSE I KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN AND DO NOT THINK THEY APPLY. ALTHOUGH, I SUSPECT GENTEEL WILL ALSO NOT SUIT ME.”

“I think it might.” I said, pulling out my phone and looked up the word, “I didn’t write anything down that I couldn’t argue suited you...Ah, it says ‘Belonging or suited to polite society. Someone who is well-bred or refined. Polite, elegant and stylish.” I grinned back over at him, “You’re going to say that none of that applies to you?”

He folded his arms, “I DIDN’T SAY THAT!” He posed again, “I WOULD SAY MOST OF THAT APPLIES TO ME.”

“Most?”

“YES.” He met my eyes, quite serious, “I KNOW I AM NOT ALWAYS POLITE. I WILL NOT TOLERATE POLITE PLEASANTRIES IF THEY REQUIRE ME LYING TO IDIOTS ABOUT HOW GOOD THEY LOOK TODAY.”

“Fair enough.” I chuckled as I made a note of what he chose, “After that, I went all over the place and found Ardent, Bold, Staunch, Glitz and Bantam.”

“batman?” Puck asked with a grin, perking up with interest.

The Mamba hissed, “I REFUSE TO BE CALLED ‘BATMAN’!”

“It’s not ‘Batman’, it’s ‘Ban~tum’. It means-”

“IT COULD MEAN SEXY GOD OF EVERYTHING WITH MY IMAGE CARVED UNDERNEATH IT ON THE STONES OF CREATION AND I STILL WOULDN’T WANT TO BE CALLED IT! NEXT!”

Me and Puck chuckled quietly to ourselves before I repeated the remaining choices.

“I LIKE BOLD,” He admitted, “BUT WHAT DOES ARDENT AND GLITZ MEAN?”

“Ardent means passionate, but almost firecy passion, you know?” I looked up my phone and back to him, “I was very much thinking of how you danced when I came across that one.”

“HMMM, AND THE OTHER ONE?”

“Glitz? It means extravagant but unnesseically so. Think an amazing painting with a gilded frame. Glitz would be the frame, which the painting didn’t need.” 

“SO YOUR LAST SUGGESTION IS AN INSULT?!” He hissed angrily. 

Despite his tone, even I saw the flash of pain that crossed behind his eyes.

“It-It’s not an insult.” I insisted fervently, only to have him turn his back on me. 

“IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE AN INSULT TO ME!” he spat back, his shoulders hunched with his fists clenched around them.

I glanced over at the other two to see Puck shrug and go back to the movie and for Apt to smile encouragingly at me, gesturing me to keep talking to the Mamba.

Sighing, I placed my note pad in my lap before I asked him, quietly, “Would you like to hear my reasoning for why I think that would be a good name for you?”

He didn’t say anything, but when he didn’t leave or tell me to shut up or something, I assumed he was begrudgingly listening to me.

“I was thinking about how amazing you were dancing, how naturally gifted you are, and yet you still seem to feel the need to puff out and make yourself seem even more impressive.” I dropped my eyes back to my notepad, wishing that I had crossed Glitz from my list now rather than hurt him like this. “... I know we’ve just met, so maybe I have no clue what I’m talking about here, but you’re cool enough without all that blustering. You’re just like that beautiful painting getting crammed into a gilded frame. The painting didn’t need the frame to be beautiful, and I would argue that it’s the frame that’s made better, not the painting. Just keep doing your own thing and ignore what anyone else has to say. Including me.”

When he didn’t say anything, I sighed and went back to my phone, “I’ll keep looking. That was just the first batch of ideas-”

“NO.” He looked back at me over his shoulder, his arms still folded as he said, quietly, “...GLITZ…. SOMETHING MORE TO SOMETHING ALREADY AMAZING ...I-I….I ACCEPT THE NAME.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, holding up my phone, “I have no problem looking for more names.”

“NO, YOU CAN PUT AWAY YOUR PHONE.” He slithered over to the forearm I had resting on the armrest and sort of sat there, with his back resting on my upper arm, “FROM NOW ON, YOU WILL CALL ME GLITZ AND I WILL ANSWER TO IT.”

I could feel myself relaxing with such an intense sense of relief that I felt my eyes tear up. I-I hadn’t realised how much I had been panicking when he thought I had insulted him or how much it meant to me to hear him say that. 

Apt began purring in my lap as he laid down on his stomach, with Puck grinning, even as he rested on the pillow by my side with his eyes closed. With all of them on me like this, I couldn’t keep this smile off my face.

I-I needed to take a photo of this!

After fumbling with my phone, I manged to get a photo with all three of them in it (and quickly set it was my wallpaper). Thinking back on what a strange turn of events all of this was, I pulled up my newest addition to the list of contacts I had and sent a text message to a person I was sure was too busy to ever get a chance to read it. Still, I wanted to let them know that everything was fine and to say my thanks yet again.

_‘Hey Vex! It’s Rnd_Injustice (the girl who adopted the Mamba, Honey Bo and Chain). I thought I would give you a quick update and send along this picture of our first night together. It’s been a little rough, but I think we can make this work. They all decided their names (I’ll label the picture) and they seem happy enough with their names and nests (but you’re the expert, so what do I know). Anyway, I thought I’d just say thanks again and to let you know that they’re doing fine. Thanks for everything, you’re amazing.'_

_-Rnd_Injustice_

**Picture I drew to show what would be in the photo (I did my best)-<https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/rnd-injustice/186027286083>**


End file.
